Getting started

Are there any products or services that are unacceptable to sell?

Yes, we do have guidelines about what products are unacceptable for sale. These guidelines offer specific details and the complete listing of prohibited products.

Does BlueSnap support the ability to process payments for subscriptions or recurring charges?

Yes, products can be set up to automatically bill the shopper based on a standard or custom payment schedule, such as monthly, quarterly, annually, etc. See Subscription capabilities.

Do you offer SDKs?

Yes, our platform offers a variety of SDKs to meet your development needs. For example, we offer SDKs for Android, iOS, PHP and more.

Do you offer any reports to help me manage my business?

Our platform is set up with a number of reports to help you build and manage your business, whether you need clarity on you conversion rates or insight into your sales and revenue. All of your sales and shopper records are permanent so you can consistently and accurately track them and plan accordingly.See Key reporting & analytics tools.

Do you offer a mobile app?

The BlueSnap mobile app is available for download from Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It’s a great way to keep up to date with account activity while on the go.

You can view reports, search for orders, issue refunds, and cancel subscriptions.To use the app, you must have API credentials. And only users with the Reports permission will be able to log in to the app.

Note: Permissions assigned to users of the BlueSnap Console will apply when accessing the mobile app. Users that cannot refund an order, modify a subscription, or search for a transaction in the BlueSnap Console will not be able to perform these activities in the mobile app.

Per product (only with BuyNow hosted checkout): If you are using our BuyNow hosted checkout pages, you can set up a separate statement descriptor per product on the Product Information page.

Per transaction and/or per subscription: If you are using our Payment API or Extended Payment API, you can also define a descriptor dynamically per transaction and/or per subscription by including the soft-descriptor property in your request. See the API documentation.

Will you make a separate payment to designated individuals for royalties?

Yes, BlueSnap merchants who wish to pay individuals who have contributed to the development of their product are able to set up a royalty payment (usually either a percentage of the retail cost or a flat amount) within their account. Using the BlueSnap e-Business platform, the royalty payment can be automatically calculated and delivered to the individual each month.

Can the BuyNow checkout pages pass parameters to the success page?

Yes. To do this, you can set up a URL to send a shopper to a specific success page once the shopper completes a purchase. You can then use URL parameters to pull values from the checkout page so that you can show them on your success page. For example, you could include the parameters for shopper’s name and email, and these parameters would then be automatically populated with the actual values from the checkout page. For more information, see Redirect after a purchase.

Do you support partial captures?

Yes. BlueSnap supports partial captures for card transactions. To have this capability enabled, contact your Implementation Specialist or Merchant Support. For more details on how to perform partial captures, visit the Developer Hub.

Note: A fee will be charged for each capture.

Do you support Level 2/3 data?

Yes. BlueSnap supports Level 2/3 data in the Payment API. For complete details, see the Level 2/3 Data guide in the Developer Hub.

Do you support the Payment Request API?

Yes. BlueSnap supports the Payment Request API by securely capturing and tokenizing the shopper's data obtained from the browser, which allows you to process payments using BlueSnap's Payment API while keeping your PCI compliance to a minimum. For complete details, see the Payment Request API (W3C) guide in the Developer Hub.

What are the supported browsers?

BlueSnap supports the current and previous major releases of Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari. Support is rolled forward with each new major browser version.

Can I take my data with me if I leave BlueSnap?

If you decide to leave us, first we would like to know why. We pride ourselves on providing the best product and support in the industry, so, if we have fallen short of that commitment we would like your feedback so we know where we need to improve. You can access and retrieve all data that is not covered by PCI requirements via our Reporting API.

For PCI-covered data (credit card number, expiration date, etc.), we are required to transfer this data to your new provider in a PCI compliant manner. For more information on this process, see Data Migration.

If I can't find my question here, what should I do?

There are many helpful resources that await you. Here are a few of the most helpful:

How can I get started with Stack Overflow?

To get started with Stack Overflow, visit their website and create an account. You can search questions and answers until you find what you're looking for. Don't worry if you don't find your answer, you can always ask your own questions.

Security and fraud prevention

What is PCI compliance and how do I become PCI compliant?

The PCI DSS was established in 2006 by the major card companies (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International). All businesses that process, store, or transmit payment card data are required to implement the standard. The goal of PCI compliance is simply to protect commerce. As you reach compliance with the standard you will be armed with a secure foundation to avoid a devastating attack from criminals that may result in costs associated with loss of business, forensic investigations, credit monitoring, and post breach audit and security updates.

Anyone who accepts credit card payments needs to comply with PCI-DSS rules. All BlueSnap merchants are required to complete a SAQ (Self-Assessment Questionnaire) to comply with PCI 3.0 regulations. Merchants using our Hosted Payment Fields or our BuyNow pages will only need to complete SAQ-A, which is a short and simple questionnaire. Merchants using client-side encryption will be required to complete a longer SAQ-A-EP questionnaire. Merchants using the API will be evaluated based on their specific configuration. Merchants using our Virtual Terminal will need to complete SAQ-C-VT. These forms need to be updated yearly.

Note: If you fill out the SAQ-D form, you are covered for all other SAQ levels.

What does BlueSnap do to prevent fraudulent orders?

BlueSnap has partnered with Kount to analyze customer data and purchase behavior on every transaction to identify and stop fraudulent orders. BlueSnap offers three levels of enhanced fraud prevention services, each with different capabilities and customization opportunities. See Fraud prevention service levels.

How does Apple Pay work?

Apple Pay is a mobile wallet that iPhone owners can use to buy on the web or in iOS applications. Apple Pay encrypts any credit/debit card added to an Apple Wallet. Apple assigns a device-specific tokenized credit card number called a DPAN that BlueSnap will use to process transactions.

Where do I go to enable Apple Pay on my BlueSnap account?

We will automatically enable Apple Pay on your account as soon it becomes available in your region. You can verify that Apple Pay is enabled by going to Page Design > Payment methods in the BlueSnap Console.

Which currencies does Apple Pay support?

Apple Pay can be used with any currency that is enabled on your account for credit and debit card processing.

How does Apple Pay work with my fraud settings?

CVV and AVS information is not made available for Apple Pay transactions. Thus, any fraud rules based on these fields will not apply to Apple Pay transactions. Since Apple uses tokenization to encrypt card information and reduce the risk of fraud, CVV and AVS are not necessary for use with Apple Pay.

Is Apple Pay secure?

Apple Pay is a highly secure payment method. Apple encrypts any credit or debit card information entered on the shopper's supported Apple device. This information is stored on a Secure Element inside the device to prevent unauthorized access. Every transaction is assigned a unique token to further reduce the risk of data theft. These tokens are only valid to be used by a specific merchant. You can read more about Apple Pay security here.

Can I use Apple Pay to accept charitable donations?

What’s the cost for Apple Pay transactions?

BlueSnap will charge the same rate for processing Apple Pay transactions as we do for all other credit and debit card transactions. There will be no additional fees for Apple Pay transactions.

What cards does Apple Pay support?

Shoppers can buy with Apple Pay if they have a credit, debit, or prepaid card issued from one of these Apple Pay participating issuers.

What devices are supported with Apple Pay?

Apple Pay in your website:If the shopper is purchasing on an iOS device, Safari must be open on an Apple Pay-enabled iPhone. If the shopper is purchasing on a Mac, Safari must be open on a MacBook Pro with Touch ID, or a Mac model 2012 or later paired to a compatible iPhone/Apple Watch with Handoff.

Apple Pay in your iOS app:The shopper must be using an iOS device (iPhone 6 or 6+, iPad Air 2, or iPad mini 3) running iOS 8.1 or later to be eligible to purchase with Apple Pay in your app.

Can I use BlueSnap and Apple Pay to accept NFC / contactless in-store payments?

Our documentation for Apple Pay doesn’t currently cover NFC in-store payments. We will update our documentation if we support Apple Pay NFC in-store payments in the future.

When integrating payments into my iOS app, when should I use Apple Pay or In-App Purchases?

Apple Pay should be used when the good or service being offered is consumed outside of the app. For example, Apple Pay should be used to sell physical goods such as groceries, clothing, and appliances. You should also use Apple Pay for services such as club memberships, hotel reservations, and tickets for events.

Apple’s In-App Purchase capabilities should be used to sell goods and services that are consumed inside the app. For example, you should use In-App Purchases for virtual goods such as premium content for your app, or subscriptions for digital content.

Can I offer Apple Pay on my website to accept payments for digital goods?

Yes.

Can I use Apple Pay for recurring payments?

Yes. Apple Pay can be used for recurring subscription payments with the BlueSnap Subscription Engine.

How do I test Apple Pay transactions?

For Apple Pay in your website:First contact Merchant Support to have Apple Pay testing enabled on your account. We will provide you with credentials for an iCloud account that can be used for testing. Log in to the account on your Apple Pay–enabled devices, add one of the test cards, and complete the transaction.

For Apple Pay in your iOS app:To get started, follow the sandbox testing steps in the Apple Pay Guide. Log in to your iCloud account on an Apple Pay-enabled device, and add one or two of the test cards.

I'm using one of the BlueSnap API's. What API calls are involved with Apple Pay?

If you're using one of our API's, you can find more about the API calls involved with Apple Pay by visiting our Developer Docs.

I'm using one of the BlueSnap API's. For Apple Pay in my website, do I need to register all domains that will be displaying the Apple Pay button?

You'll need to register all production domains that will be displaying the Apple Pay button, including both top-level domains (e.g. bluesnap.com) and sub-domains (e.g. store.bluesnap.com). You'll need to host the domain verification file on all of your registered domains.For more information, see domain verification.

How does Google Pay work?

Google Pay is a mobile wallet providing your shoppers with a fast and secure checkout experience on the web or Android device. Google Pay does not share your shopper payment information; instead, Google Pay facilitates a process called tokenization where a token is used in place of your shopper’s actual card numbers.

How do I set up Google Pay for my website?

For details on how to integrate a web application with the Google Pay API and configure it to accept payment cards, refer to the Google Pay Tutorial.

How do I set up Google Pay for my Android app?

Implement Google Pay in your Android app using our Android SDK to allow shoppers to purchase physical items (such as groceries and clothing) or services (such as gym memberships and hotel reservations) from within your app.

Where do I go to enable Google Pay on my BlueSnap account?

Google Pay is automatically enabled on your account. You can verify that Google Pay is enabled by going to Page Design > Payment methods in the BlueSnap Console. If Google Pay is not currently in your region, BlueSnap will enable it for you once it is available.

Which currencies does Google Pay support?

Google Pay can be used with any currency that is enabled on your account for credit and debit card processing.

Is Google Pay secure?

What’s the cost for Google Pay transactions?

BlueSnap will charge the same rate for processing Google Pay transactions as we do for all other credit and debit card transactions. There will be no additional fees for Google Pay transactions.

What cards does Google Pay support?

Shoppers can buy with Google Pay if they have a credit, debit, or prepaid card (cards stored in their Google Account) issued from one of these Google Pay participating issuers; however, shoppers using tokenized cards (cards stored on their Android device) can only use them in a subset of countries and on compatible Android devices.

How do I test Google Pay transactions?

Google Pay does not support test cards; however, you can use a “live” card in Google’s test environment. In a test environment, Google Pay returns a dummy token (that can't be charged).Refer to this site for more details.

Can I use Google Pay to accept charitable donations?

Yes. Your shoppers can make donations using Google Pay from most devices, including their computer’s Google Chrome browser, Android phone, and even on iOS devices with the Chrome app.

Note: For details on how to collect donations with Google Pay on Android & Chrome using Donorbox, access this site.

Can I use Google Pay with my recurring transactions?

Payout

How much does it cost to sign up? What fees will I pay?

There are no upfront sign up or setup fees to join BlueSnap! We do charge a small sales commission on your BlueSnap-generated sales. These fees are deducted and shown in detail with your monthly payout. To learn more, contact us at sales@bluesnap.com.

When do I receive my payout?

The default payout is monthly. Depending on commercial terms, the Platform can support multiple payout methods.

What payout methods are available to me?

Can BlueSnap convert my payout from USD to another currency, or do I have to convert it at the bank?

In many cases, if you are being paid outside the United States, you may either have funds delivered in your local currency (via wire transfer, for instance), or be paid by a check in USD. If you select the first option, we will convert your currency based on our current rate and deposit your funds. If you select the second option, you simply bring your check to your local bank and have them run the conversion and apply the funds to your account.

Are there more payout options?

Yes, make sure to check out our Partner Connections where we keep updating our advanced solutions for payouts, including receiving direct deposits internationally and even managing your own employee payouts.

Currency conversion

Can you do like-for-like? Does that mean no FX mark-up?

Yes. BlueSnap can settle (pay out) in to your merchant account in 13 currencies like-for like: USD, CAD, EUR, GBP, AUD, NZD, JPY, HKD, DKK, NOK, SEK, CHF, ZAR. For transactions in these currencies, and provided you have accounts capable of receiving these currencies, BlueSnap can authorize and settle into your account without conversion, or FX fees, either to you or to your customer.

How much does the shopper pay in FX when they choose to pay in their own currency? Is the mark up different for Minor and Major currencies?

BlueSnap knows pricing is critical to converting shoppers to buyers, as a result BlueSnap pricing is very competitive. In addition, showing an accurate price at checkout provides confidence to the shopper the price they see is the price they'll pay.

When we do the currency conversions, we will calculate it using the live Interbank rates (similar to what you can see on Reuters/ Xe.com, etc) and, when not a like-for-like currency, Bluesnap will add a mark-up which covers the cost of converting that transaction into your settlement currencies. Mark-up is different for different groups of currencies.

Who keeps that mark-up?

The mark-up serves different purposes. As previously mentioned, it covers the cost of converting these transactions into your settlement currency, so you don’t have to incur this cost. BlueSnap also keeps a portion of this for providing this service to you.

I am a merchant based in the US, and my shopper is in France. How does the flow work?

In this case, you will probably want to display the price to your customer in Euros, but you are likely to have only a US bank account in USD. So, BlueSnap will display the price in Euros using the live Interbank rates and will add a mark-up, which covers the cost of converting that transaction into your settlement currency (USD). The transaction will get authorized in EUR, but will be settled into your account in USD.

I am a merchant based in the UK, my shopper is in Canada, and CAD is one of my like-for-like currencies. How does the flow work?

Assuming CAD is one of your agreed like-for-like currencies, and that you have a bank account in CAD, the flow is simple: Shopper sees the price in CAD, transaction is authorized and settled back to you in CAD without the need for a currency conversion, hence without conversion fees. If however, you don’t have a CAD bank account, and you only have one in GBP, you will incur a fee when we have to convert the transaction to GBP prior to settling to your account.

Marketplace

What is a Marketplace?

A Marketplace is a platform that enables you to board your vendors and then split payments from your shoppers between your marketplace and vendors.

Does BlueSnap support a Marketplace?

Yes. BlueSnap merchants can use our Marketplace web service of the Payment API to board vendors and set the commission split between your marketplace and your vendors. To learn more, see our Marketplace docs.

Why would I want to create a Marketplace?

If you've created a business where you want to encourages vendors to participate in your success a marketplace is for you. With the BlueSnap Marketplace, you can board your merchants and manage all communications and interactions between your vendors, while leaving the payout to all parties to BlueSnap

Are there any fees for the Marketplace?

The marketplace fee is based on the gross amount paid out to vendors. While you are busy managing your marketplace business, we are working hard to verify vendor identities, to split payouts between you and your vendors, and to provide the reports for reconciliation – just to name a few.

Can I transfer account funds between vendors?

No. BlueSnap pays out account funds to your vendors according to the established commission rate.

When does the commission split for a sale occur?

BlueSnap splits the payment based on the commission rate once the shopper’s funds are captured.

Can I process a transaction that involves multiple vendors?

Yes. You, the Marketplace Merchant, can process a transaction that involves up to 10 vendors. For more details, see Processing transactions.

What are the requirements for verifying individuals? What are the requirements for businesses?

Can I define the statement descriptor dynamically per transaction?

Embedded Checkout

What is Embedded Checkout?

This solution uses a secure form to capture and tokenize your shopper's payment data, so sensitive data never touches your environment. When your shopper completes their purchase, you’ll include the token in the API request to complete the transaction.

What credentials do I need to use Embedded Checkout?

You'll need a BlueSnap account and API credentials. Every API request must be authenticated using a HTTP Basic Authentication header, as follows:Authorization: Basic {Base64 encoding of 'username:password'}.

The response will provide the token in the location header.For example: BLUESNAPDOMAINPATH/services/2/payment-fields-tokens/HOSTEDFIELDTOKENID

Can I reuse the Embedded Checkout token?

For each session, you'll need to create a new token via Create Token request. The token expires 60 minutes after its creation. Within these 60 minutes, you may do the following:

Client-side - Call bluesnap.submitCredentials to submit the shopper's payment details to BlueSnap and bind them to the token. This function can be called as many times as needed before the 60 minutes are up, and before sending the token in a request from your server to BlueSnap.

Hosted Payment Fields

What are Hosted Payment Fields?

Hosted Payment Fields are iframes that replace sensitive credit card input fields in your checkout page. When the shopper submits the checkout form, BlueSnap binds the sensitive card data to a token. You can then easily process payments or save shopper details by including the token in your BlueSnap API requests.

What credentials do I need to use Hosted Payment Fields?

You'll need a BlueSnap account and API credentials. Every API request must be authenticated using a HTTP Basic Authentication header, as follows:Authorization: Basic {Base64 encoding of 'username:password'}.

The response will provide the token in the location header.For example: BLUESNAPDOMAINPATH/services/2/payment-fields-tokens/HOSTEDFIELDTOKENID

Can I reuse the Hosted Payment Fields token?

For each session, you'll need to create a new token via Create Token request. The token expires 60 minutes after its creation. Within these 60 minutes, you may do the following:

Client-side - Call bluesnap.submitCredentials to submit the shopper's payment details to BlueSnap and bind them to the token. This function can be called as many times as needed before the 60 minutes are up, and before sending the token in a request from your server to BlueSnap.

Can I change the placeholder text inside the Hosted Payment Fields?

How can I style the credit card, cvv, exp inputs?

The iframes inside the div elements are transparent. If you wish to style the actual div element, you may do so as you would normally. If you wish to style the text within the input field of the iframe, you may do so by defining the style property of the BlueSnap object (bsObj). Visit our Hosted Payment Fields Guide for a code sample.

Can I call bluesnap.hostedPaymentFieldsCreation before the DOM is fully loaded?

No. bluesnap.hostedPaymentFieldsCreation can only be called after the DOM is fully loaded. Since the function dynamically creates iframes , the DOM must be fully loaded to ensure the elements are created successfully.

One way to run the script after the DOM is fully loaded is to place the script element after the body element:

How does the bluesnap.submitCredentials function work?

When bluesnap.submitCredentials is called, the shopper's credit card data stored in the data-bluensnap fields are submitted to BlueSnap and associated with the token. If alldata-bluesnap inputs are successfully submitted to BlueSnap (i.e. no client-side validation error, server error, or empty input fields), the callback function passed inside bluesnap.submitCredentials will be called with a cardData object containing the card type, last four digits, expiration date, and issuing country (if applicable).

For example, if you are using Hosted Payment Fields to collect credit card number, exp. date, and CVV:

Can I verify CVV when a shopper uses a saved card?

Yes. Follow the steps in the Hosted Payment Fields Guide with these changes:In Step 3, include one <div> element for CVV, as shown in the below code. Note that the value for the data-bluesnap attribute must be typed exactly as shown below, or else the implementation won't work.

How can I upgrade from v1.0 to v2.0 of the Hosted Payment Fields?

Switching from v1.0 to v2.0 consists of a few steps outlined below. By upgrading, you'll stay up-to-date with the latest Hosted Payment Fields technology and take advantage of some new changes, including a streamlined expiration date input element, the option to use an expiration date dropdown, and simplified event-handling.

Optional: Update the style property of bsObj. Note that the selector #exp has been replaced with #month and #year, allowing you to style the month and year portions separately of the expiration date element. For an updated list of the supported selectors, see Styling the Hosted Payment Fields.

How can I upgrade from v2.0 to v3.0 of the Hosted Payment Fields?

Switching from v2.0 to v3.0 (Web SDK) consists of a few steps outlined below. By upgrading, you'll stay up-to-date with the latest Hosted Payment Fields technology and take advantage of some new changes, including a streamlined expiration date input element, the option to use an expiration date dropdown, and simplified event-handling.